CVE-2026-50203 Apache Airflow SFTP provider: Path traversal in SFTPHook.retrieve_directory
A malicious SFTP server can write files outside the destination directory via crafted entry names, requiring an upgrade of the SFTP provider.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-50203?
CVE-2026-50203 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in Apache Airflow SFTP provider, published on 17 Jun 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
A path traversal in the SFTP provider (`SFTPHook.retrieve_directory` / `SFTPOperator(operation=get)`) let a malicious or compromised remote SFTP server write files outside the configured local destination directory via crafted directory-entry names. No Airflow account is required — the attack surface is any deployment downloading directories from an untrusted SFTP server. Upgrade `apache-airflow-providers-sftp` to 5.8.1 or later.
Weakness: CWE-22
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-50203?
3 open source packages ship an affected version, including apache-airflow-providers-sftp. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
apache-airflow-providers-sftp PyPI | All versions | 5.8.1 |
apache-airflow-providers-sftp PyPI | All versions | 5.8.1 |
apache-airflow-providers-sftp PyPI | All versions | 5.8.1 |
Products include Apache Apache-Airflow-Providers-Sftp.
How do I fix CVE-2026-50203?
Upgrade apache-airflow-providers-sftp to 5.8.1 or later.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2026-50203 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-50203 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as CLEANSTART-2026-EE96892, ECHO-82d3-866e-e0f0, GHSA-qf38-jq28-3ccq, MINI-hx8c-679x-vwx6, MINI-x6h4-5935-938w, PYSEC-2026-218.